scholarly journals An Exploration of Current Primary Care Practice Regarding Osteoporosis Assessment Following a Low Trauma Wrist Fracture in people aged 50 years and above in Wellington, New Zealand: A Quantitative Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nikola Florance
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Fragility Fractures ◽  
Wrist Fracture ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Osteoporosis Prevention ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Study Results

<p>Osteoporosis remains a major health issue worldwide. The impact of the condition and the fractures that can occur, can have significant debilitating impact and also incur substantial financial costs to healthcare systems. The burden of osteoporosis and the rate of osteoporotic fractures in New Zealand is comparable to other countries such as Australia, the United States and Europe. There is global literature evidence dating back as far as 1960, indicating that a fracture sustained after a simple trip or fall can be an indicator of osteoporosis. There is a need to ensure that fracture patients with a potential osteoporosis diagnosis, receive follow up care for assessment to treat any underlying bone health issue to prevent future fragility fractures, particularly, hip fractures. Due to limited formal literature sources describing the associated New Zealand context, the aim of this research work was to explore current practice for osteoporosis assessment following a fragility wrist fracture in the general practitioner (GP) primary health care setting in Wellington, New Zealand.  A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey of Wellington GPs was undertaken for this purpose. The reporting of study results were guided by the recommendations detailed within the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement on reporting observational studies (Vandenbroucke et al., 2014). 35 out of 297 GPs from 60 practices in the Wellington region responded to the survey. When describing the local context in Wellington, New Zealand, study results showed that almost three quarters of Wellington GP survey respondents follow up patients who have sustained a potential fragility wrist fracture. The discharge summary was also shown to be a vital part of the communication process between the tertiary and primary health care sectors, acting as a prompt to the GP for further investigation. The single biggest barrier inhibiting processes to enable timely osteoporosis treatment as perceived by GP survey respondents, was lack of public funding, in particular to support availability of diagnostic Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning.  Other barriers were identified by the GP survey respondents, such as anti-osteoporosis medication side effects, patient compliance to treatment plans and a lack of time within the scheduled consultation to screen patients for osteoporosis. The main educational resources that a large percentage of GP survey respondents independently accessed on a regular basis, were those that were readily available. These included GP guidelines published by “Osteoporosis New Zealand” and possibly other, and online resources such as “Health Pathways” (a best-practice, condition-specific guideline and information resource for primary health care practitioners - https://3d.healthpathways.org.nz). The results also highlighted that most GP survey respondents preferred to take the lead role in the care for patients needing to undergo osteoporosis investigation and treatment. In addition, the GP survey respondents demonstrated a high level of knowledge regarding osteoporosis risk factors.  In summary, this study has identified features of practice with regards to osteoporosis assessment following a fragility wrist fracture in the Wellington region. In addition, this study has also enabled identification of specific areas that could be better supported and resourced to assist GP’s in the prevention of secondary fragility fractures. These include highly visible public health campaigns to raise public awareness of osteoporosis and education to GP’s regarding the available screening tools. A significant finding was also that the GP respondents in this study indicated they considered that an important part of their role was responsibility for osteoporosis prevention and treatment. The study results also highlight that despite funding issues, GP survey respondents view osteoporosis prevention and treatment as best placed in the care of the primary health care sector.  This is the first New Zealand study that has identified and described the local context around current practice for fragility wrist fracture care within the Wellington GP community, establishing important reference points which can be used to support further development and research.</p>

scholarly journals An Exploration of Current Primary Care Practice Regarding Osteoporosis Assessment Following a Low Trauma Wrist Fracture in people aged 50 years and above in Wellington, New Zealand: A Quantitative Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nikola Florance
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Fragility Fractures ◽  
Wrist Fracture ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Osteoporosis Prevention ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Study Results

<p>Osteoporosis remains a major health issue worldwide. The impact of the condition and the fractures that can occur, can have significant debilitating impact and also incur substantial financial costs to healthcare systems. The burden of osteoporosis and the rate of osteoporotic fractures in New Zealand is comparable to other countries such as Australia, the United States and Europe. There is global literature evidence dating back as far as 1960, indicating that a fracture sustained after a simple trip or fall can be an indicator of osteoporosis. There is a need to ensure that fracture patients with a potential osteoporosis diagnosis, receive follow up care for assessment to treat any underlying bone health issue to prevent future fragility fractures, particularly, hip fractures. Due to limited formal literature sources describing the associated New Zealand context, the aim of this research work was to explore current practice for osteoporosis assessment following a fragility wrist fracture in the general practitioner (GP) primary health care setting in Wellington, New Zealand.  A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey of Wellington GPs was undertaken for this purpose. The reporting of study results were guided by the recommendations detailed within the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement on reporting observational studies (Vandenbroucke et al., 2014). 35 out of 297 GPs from 60 practices in the Wellington region responded to the survey. When describing the local context in Wellington, New Zealand, study results showed that almost three quarters of Wellington GP survey respondents follow up patients who have sustained a potential fragility wrist fracture. The discharge summary was also shown to be a vital part of the communication process between the tertiary and primary health care sectors, acting as a prompt to the GP for further investigation. The single biggest barrier inhibiting processes to enable timely osteoporosis treatment as perceived by GP survey respondents, was lack of public funding, in particular to support availability of diagnostic Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning.  Other barriers were identified by the GP survey respondents, such as anti-osteoporosis medication side effects, patient compliance to treatment plans and a lack of time within the scheduled consultation to screen patients for osteoporosis. The main educational resources that a large percentage of GP survey respondents independently accessed on a regular basis, were those that were readily available. These included GP guidelines published by “Osteoporosis New Zealand” and possibly other, and online resources such as “Health Pathways” (a best-practice, condition-specific guideline and information resource for primary health care practitioners - https://3d.healthpathways.org.nz). The results also highlighted that most GP survey respondents preferred to take the lead role in the care for patients needing to undergo osteoporosis investigation and treatment. In addition, the GP survey respondents demonstrated a high level of knowledge regarding osteoporosis risk factors.  In summary, this study has identified features of practice with regards to osteoporosis assessment following a fragility wrist fracture in the Wellington region. In addition, this study has also enabled identification of specific areas that could be better supported and resourced to assist GP’s in the prevention of secondary fragility fractures. These include highly visible public health campaigns to raise public awareness of osteoporosis and education to GP’s regarding the available screening tools. A significant finding was also that the GP respondents in this study indicated they considered that an important part of their role was responsibility for osteoporosis prevention and treatment. The study results also highlight that despite funding issues, GP survey respondents view osteoporosis prevention and treatment as best placed in the care of the primary health care sector.  This is the first New Zealand study that has identified and described the local context around current practice for fragility wrist fracture care within the Wellington GP community, establishing important reference points which can be used to support further development and research.</p>

Follow-Up Evaluation on Oral Antidiabetic Drug Use: A Study of Effectiveness, Safety and Patient Adherence in Surabaya Primary Health Care

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Aditama ◽  
Umi Athiyah ◽  
Wahyu Utami ◽  
Abdul Rahem
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Drug Therapy ◽  
Patient Adherence ◽  
Adherence Behavior ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Oral Antidiabetic ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Gastrointestinal Problems

Medication non-adherence is one of the biggest causes of leftover medicines. Up to 50% of patients worldwide do not take their prescribed medicines as recommended. Optimising the use of medication is beneficial to improving clinical outcomes for patients with chronic disease. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness and safety of drug therapy, evaluate patient adherence, and identify of the patient's non-adherence behavior for oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs). Methods: This study using non-experimental design, with mixed-methods (explanatory sequential design). A total of 32 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in referral program of national health care security system (BPJS Kesehatan) were included in this study from Primary Health Care in the north region of Surabaya. There are 6 domains of adherence behavior developed in this study. Results: The effectiveness of drug therapy in this study was 56,25%. About 68,75% of patients experienced to hypoglycemia and 6,25% had gastrointestinal problems caused by drug therapy. The adherence assessment found that 43,75% patients non adherence to medication. Leftover medicines found in the patient's home comes from multiple visits to health care facilities (53,12%) and patient non-adherence (37,5%). Conclusion: Follow-up evaluation as the continuous process in medication management services, led pharmacist in the strategic position to evaluates the patient's response to drug therapies in terms of effectiveness, safety, adherence and also avoiding unnecessary leftover medicines.

scholarly journals Cohort study of ageing from Bagé (SIGa-Bagé), Brazil: profile and methodology

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Thumé ◽  
Marciane Kessler ◽  
Karla P. Machado ◽  
Bruno P. Nunes ◽  
Pamela M. Volz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Rio Grande Do Sul ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The Bagé Cohort Study of Ageing is a population-based cohort study that has recently completed the first follow-up of a representative sample of older adults from Bagé, a city with more than 100,000 inhabitants located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This is one of the first longitudinal studies to assess the impact of primary health care coverage on health conditions and inequalities. Our aim is to investigate the prevalence, incidence and trends of risk factors, health behaviours, social relationships, non-communicable diseases, geriatric diseases and disorders, hospitalisation, self-perceived health, and all-cause and specific-cause mortality. In addition, we aim to evaluate socioeconomic and health inequalities and the impact of primary health care on the outcomes under study. Methods/design The study covers participants aged 60 or over, selected by probabilistic (representative) sampling of the urban area of the city of Bagé, which is covered by Primary Health Care Services. The baseline examination included 1593 older adults and was conducted from July 2008 to November 2008. After eight to nine years (2016/2017), the first follow-up was conducted from September 2016 to August 2017. All participants underwent an extensive core assessment programme including structured interviews, questionnaires, cognitive testing (baseline and follow-up), physical examinations and anthropometric measurements (follow-up). Results Of the original participants, 1395 (87.6%) were located for follow-up: 757 elderly individuals (47.5%) were re-interviewed, but losses in data transfer occurred for 22. The remaining 638 (40.1%) had died. In addition, we had 81 (5.1%) refusals and 117 (7.3%) losses. Among the 1373 older adults who were followed down, there was a higher proportion of female interviewees (p=0.042) and a higher proportion of male deaths (p=0.001) in 2016/2017. There were no differences in losses and refusals according to gender (p=0.102). There was a difference in average age between the interviewees (68.8 years; SD ±6.5) and non-interviewees (73.2 years; SD ±9.0) (p<0.001). Data are available at the Department of Social Medicine in Federal University of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, for any collaboration.

Attitudes of primary health care physician managers toward research: a pre-experimental study

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saulat Jahan ◽  
Basem Henary
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Attitude Score ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Conducting Research

Research in primary health care (PHC) is underdeveloped and scarce, especially in developing countries. It is important to understand the attitudes and aspirations of PHC physicians for the promotion of research. The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of PHC physician managers toward research in Qassim province and to identify barriers that impede performing research in the PHC system. The study was based on social cognitive theory framework, and was pre-experimental with a ‘one-group pre-test–post-test’ design. The study participants were physician managers in PHC administration, Qassim. The participants’ attitudes were measured by adapting statements from the Attitude Towards Research scale. The intervention was the 1-day training program ‘Introduction to Research in Primary Health Care’. A total of 23 PHC physicians participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 45.4 (±1.6) years, and the mean years of work experience was 16.2 (±2.2) years. Only one participant had an article published in a peer-reviewed journal. The results of the study showed that PHC physicians had a baseline positive attitude toward research that was further enhanced after participating in an introductory research-training program. During the pre-test, out of the total score of 63, the mean score on attitude toward research was 48.35 (±6.8) while the mean total attitude score in the post-test was 49.7 (±6.6). However, the difference was not statistically significant at P < 0.05. The item with the highest score regarded the role of research in the improvement of health care services, while the lowest-scoring item was about support from administration to conduct research. The participants recognised lack of skills, lack of training and inadequate resources as major barriers in conducting research. Our study results suggest that the PHC physicians’ positive attitudes toward research can be further improved through in-service training. To promote research in PHC in Qassim, regular research-training programs and incentives for conducting research should be provided to the PHC physicians.

Understanding the general practice nursing workforce in New Zealand: an overview of characteristics 2015–19

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Hewitt ◽  
Nicolette F. Sheridan ◽  
Karen Hoare ◽  
Jane E. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
General Practice ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Nursing Workforce ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Role Confusion

Limited knowledge about the nursing workforce in New Zealand general practice inhibits the optimal use of nurses in this increasingly complex setting. Using workforce survey data published biennially by the Nursing Council of New Zealand, this study describes the characteristics of nurses in general practice and contrasts them with the greater nursing workforce, including consideration of changes in the profiles between 2015 and 2019. The findings suggest the general practice nursing workforce is older, less diverse, more predominately New Zealand trained and very much more likely to work part-time than other nurses. There is evidence that nurses in general practice are increasingly primary health care focused, as they take on expanded roles and responsibilities. However, ambiguity about terminology and the inability to track individuals in the data are limitations of this study. Therefore, it was not possible to identify and describe cohorts of nurses in general practice by important characteristics, such as prescribing authority, regionality and rurality. A greater national focus on defining and tracking this pivotal workforce is called for to overcome role confusion and better facilitate the use of nursing scopes of practice.

scholarly journals Difficulties in nutritional counseling and child growth follow-up: from a professional perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 949-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Nery Teixeira Palombo ◽  
Elizabeth Fujimori ◽  
Áurea Tamami Minagawa Toriyama ◽  
Luciane Simões Duarte ◽  
Ana Luiza Vilela Borges
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
Child Growth ◽  
Nutritional Counseling ◽  
Child Feeding ◽  
Professional Experiences ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Professional Perspective

ABSTRACT Introduction: Nutritional counseling and growth follow-up are priorities when providing care to children; however, these have not been completely incorporated into primary health care. Objective: To know the difficulties for providing nutritional counseling and child growth follow-up, from a professional healthcare perspective. Method: Qualitative study, using Donabedian as theoretical framework, developed by 53 professionals in the field of primary health care. Data was obtained from focal groups and submitted to content analysis. Results: The main difficulties for nutritional counseling were clustered in the category of ‘perceptions and beliefs related to child feeding’. The ‘problems of infrastructure and healthcare’ and ‘maintenance of the hegemonic medical model’ are the main difficulties for following-up growth. Final considerations: Besides investments in infrastructure, healthcare training is indispensable considering beliefs and professional experiences, so in fact, nutritional counseling and child growth follow-up are incorporated in primary health care.

scholarly journals Effect of implementation intention on walking in people with diabetes

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Marco Antonio Vieira da Silva ◽  
Thaís Moreira São-João ◽  
Marilia Estevam Cornelio ◽  
Fábio Luiz Mialhe
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Implementation Intention ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Significant Difference

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of implementation intentions as an intervention strategy to promote walking in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: We conducted a controlled and randomized trial, with 12 months of follow-up, involving 65 people with T2DM recruited from primary health care units and allocated them in the control group (CG, n = 32) and intervention group (IG, n = 33). The IG received the implementation intention strategy to promote walking and the CG remained in follow-up for conventional treatment in primary health care. The researchers were blinded by anthropometric measurements and the filling of the instruments. RESULTS: After twelve months of follow up, the IG presented a statistically significant increase in the leisure time physical activity when compared with the CG (p = 0.0413) and showed a significant decrease in waist circumference (p = 0.0061). No significant difference was observed regarding body mass index and glycated hemoglobin among groups. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation intention was effective in promoting walking and improving clinical indicators in adults with T2DM.

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